Around 20 000 British citizens live in Zimbabwe and some 112 000 Zimbabweans live in Britain.

Britain provides around $114m in aid to Zimbabwe every year.

But relations were rocky under Mugabe, particularly over the expropriation of white-owned farms there.

“What comes next must be driven by Zimbabweans – it must be in line with the Zimbabwean constitution and will be impossible without clear resolve from the incoming government. That is what my visit here is all about.

“Britain wants to be a genuine partner for Zimbabweans as they forge a new future,” Stewart said.

Zimbabwe’s incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa is due to be sworn in on Friday, following a triumphant return home this week after he was sacked as Mugabe’s deputy earlier this month